Send Your Children to Bed

Furniture for the Bedrooms – Children's Beds

Elena Price writes
If you are looking for new furniture for a child’s bedroom, the most important decision to make will be the type of bed that you want. Once your child has progressed from sleeping in cots and beds designed for toddlers, there are a whole range of different types of bed available. You could choose to buy a traditional single bed, but it’s also worth looking at other types of bed, such as bunk beds, hideaway beds and sleep stations.

We’ve put together a guide to some of the different types of children’s beds that you can choose from:

Bunk beds

If your children are sharing a room or are likely to have friends to say, bunk beds could be the perfect space-saving solution. A bunk bed is a single piece of furniture which consists of two beds, one above the other. The top bed is usually accessible via a small ladder.

Bunk beds are particularly good if you want to make the most of a narrow bedroom, and many kids love the design. However, if you are considering buying bunk beds for your kids, it’s important to bear your children’s ages in mind. Top bunks are usually not suitable for children under six years of age, and as your children get older, they may start to think that bunk beds are “babyish”, so make sure that they are likely to get enough use out of them before you buy. Some bunk beds are designed so that they can be separated and used as individual beds, so this may be something that you might want to consider.

Make sure that you choose high-quality, sturdy bunk beds and that the furniture complies with the relevant British Safety Standards. The top bunk should have a guard rail on each side, and the mattress should fit securely in place, at least 10cm below the guard rail. It’s also important to make sure that your children understand how to use the top bunk safely.

Camp Beds

Traditionally camp beds have been though of as an uncomfortable temporary sleeping solution but more and more families are finding the versatility and affordability of inflatable mattresses are ideal for kids who love to pretend they are camping out for the night - tucked up in a sleeping bag and reading by torch light.

A benefit of getting your children to sleep on a camp bed is that you don't have to find sheets and duvet covers - just buy reasonable priced, easy wash sleeping bags and there's no more making the bed every morning.

One great way to make the camping experience even more realistic is to play birdsongs quietly in the background both before going to sleep and again when awakening

Hideaway beds

Hideaway beds are great for children who like to have friends or family members to stay, as a hideaway bed consists of one bed with a pull-out bed within the base. Hideaway beds can be the perfect choice for a teenager’s bedroom and will save on space when the second bed isn’t in use. If you’re thinking about buying a hideaway bed, make sure that you measure up carefully to make sure that there is enough space when the second bed is pulled out, so that it won’t be it difficult for people to manoeuvre around the room and the bed won’t block doorways.

Sleep Station

If storage space is an issue in your child’s bedroom, a sleep station may be the perfect solution. A sleep station usually consists of a single bed which is raised, allowing for the inclusion of cupboards, drawers, shelving, and sometimes even a pull-out desk within the unit. Sleep stations tend to be fairly bulky, so make sure that you measure up carefully to make sure that you will be able to fit one in your child’s room before deciding to buy one.

As with bunk beds, you should choose a high quality, stable and sturdy sleep station and ensure that there are guard rails around the bed.

Storage beds - Toy Storyage

If you’d prefer to have a traditional bed in your child’s bedroom or don’t have room for a sleep station, you can still make the most of the space that you have by choosing a storage bed. This type of bed has drawers in the base, so your child can store clothes, toys or other items in it, freeing up space elsewhere in the room.

Toys are a nuisance

All parents know the perils of toys scattered around the house - but buy choosing a storage bed for children you can make the associationbetween toys and bed-time - a tactic that will backfire on you later.

You can buy children’s beds from many different retailers, and you can sometimes get great deals by shopping online.